The pilot reported that, while turning from the left base to the final approach leg of the traffic pattern at the airport in Meridianville, Alabama, the Mooney M20F’s stall warning horn sounded.
He pitched the airplane’s nose down and increased engine power.
The airplane then “violently” pitched up and to the left.
He continued his attempt to regain control, but the airplane then pitched up and to the right, and eventually hit terrain about 200 feet short of the runway threshold.
The pilot and passenger incurred minor injuries, while the airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage, both wings, and engine mount.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack while on final approach to land, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, a loss of airplane control, and impact with terrain.
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This November 2023 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
I’ll opine that he overshot the centerline in the dark and overcorrected, cross controlled and was rewarded with the accelerated stall. So lucky he didn’t spin at 200 feet.
43 minutes after sunset and low altitude. Quite a challenge to be recovering from a stall in those conditions. From the pilot’s description, it sounds like multiple secondary stalls, and Mooney stalls can be more dramatic than in basic trainers. Perhaps the darkness caused a distraction from airspeed awareness.